Man At Airport Claims Live Lizards In Suitcases Were ‘Dinner’

during day three of the 2011 Emirates Australian Open at The Lakes Golf Club on November 12, 2011 in Sydney, Australia.File photo of a lizard. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

MUNICH (CBSDC) — A man stopped at a German airport claims the lizards he was carrying were his “dinner.”

During a routine customs check in a Munich airport on Wednesday, a man was found to be in possession of almost 50 assorted lizards and reptiles. The man’s suitcases contained 49 reptiles in all – 31 spiny-tailed lizards and 18 geckos – according to a report by The Local.

When asked, he told airport officials the reptiles were his dinner, and even offered to eat one of the live animals to prove his claim.

“[He] … offered to bite the head off one of the spiny-tailed lizards in front of officials as proof,” a customs spokesman added to the website. “Of course we stopped him doing that.”

Officers were still skeptical of his claims that the lizards were meant to be eaten, especially due to the potential worth they would have on the black market, according to the spokesman.

The unidentified man, who was reportedly traveling in Oman, will now face a hefty fine of several thousand euros. The lizards have been transported to veterinarians in an undisclosed location for care.